• Slide 1 of 101: Of all major movie genres, sci-fi has perhaps the most passionate devotees—just look at the feverishly adoring fanbases of the “Star Wars” saga and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only do these ardent admirers frequent Comic-Con, engage in cosplay, and read throngs of backstory in comic strips and books, they also drive up user ratings as soon as the newest installment of their favorite franchise drops. It can lead to a somewhat skewed perspective in terms of whether or not certain highly-rated movies are actually worth watching. Enter the film critic: a movie expert who, while not impervious to personal bias, is more likely to judge a work based on its actual merits. To that end, a list of the best critically reviewed sci-fi films will be different from one compiled according to IMDb user ratings—even if specific titles are bound to overlap. With that in mind, Stacker presents the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to what the critics say. Films were ranked by Metascore. In the case of a tie, the title with more critic ratings ranked higher. Excluded from consideration were any movies that have not yet been released to the public. Without further ado, here are the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to the critics. You may also like: 100 best films of all time, according to critics
    • Slide 2 of 101: - Director: James Mangold - Metascore: 77 - Runtime: 137 minutes “Logan,” which marks Hugh Jackman’s reported final turn as Wolverine, opens with its hero in a state of perpetual weariness. As he tends to an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Logan constantly retreats to the bottle in order to ease his pains. Everything changes, however, with the arrival of a spry young mutant named Laura (Dafne Keen), who’s being pursued by a powerful corporation. Tasked with escorting Laura to the Canadian border, Logan whips out the razor-sharp claws for one last time.
    • Slide 3 of 101: - Director: Claire Denis - Metascore: 77 - Runtime: 113 minutes Arthouse legend Claire Denis dips her toes in the sci-fi horror genre without straying too far from her meditative roots in “High Life.” The result is this visually thrilling nonlinear tale, which follows a group of criminals on a dangerous space-based mission. Critics were much more receptive than audiences.
    • Slide 4 of 101: - Director: Wolf Rilla - Metascore: 77 - Runtime: 77 minutes This classic and ever-prescient parable takes place in a small English village, where the locals suddenly fall into a deep sleep. The mysterious event gives way to a group of similar-looking children with terrifying mental powers. Director John Carpenter later helmed a remake.

Slide 101 of 101: - Director: Fritz Lang - Metascore: 98 - Runtime: 153 minutes This German masterwork from Fritz Lang isn’t just one of the most important sci-fi movies ever made, it’s also an absolute benchmark of the silent film era. Set in a future city where the wealthy live a carefree existence, the film follows a privileged man as he journeys underground. There, he discovers an entire working-class society toiling to keep the machines running above the surface. With help from a beautiful woman and an eccentric inventor, the man sets out to make society fair to people from all walks of life. You may also like: Mistakes from the 50 best movies of all time

Slide 1 of 101: Of all major movie genres, sci-fi has perhaps the most passionate devotees—just look at the feverishly adoring fanbases of the “Star Wars” saga and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only do these ardent admirers frequent Comic-Con, engage in cosplay, and read throngs of backstory in comic strips and books, they also drive up user ratings as soon as the newest installment of their favorite franchise drops. It can lead to a somewhat skewed perspective in terms of whether or not certain highly-rated movies are actually worth watching. Enter the film critic: a movie expert who, while not impervious to personal bias, is more likely to judge a work based on its actual merits. To that end, a list of the best critically reviewed sci-fi films will be different from one compiled according to IMDb user ratings—even if specific titles are bound to overlap. With that in mind, Stacker presents the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to what the critics say. Films were ranked by Metascore. In the case of a tie, the title with more critic ratings ranked higher. Excluded from consideration were any movies that have not yet been released to the public. Without further ado, here are the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to the critics. You may also like: 100 best films of all time, according to critics

100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to critics

Of all major movie genres, sci-fi has perhaps the most passionate devotees—just look at the feverishly adoring fanbases of the “Star Wars” saga and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only do these ardent admirers frequent Comic-Con, engage in cosplay, and read throngs of backstory in comic strips and books, they also drive up user ratings as soon as the newest installment of their favorite franchise drops. It can lead to a somewhat skewed perspective in terms of whether or not certain highly-rated movies are actually worth watching.

Enter the film critic: a movie expert who, while not impervious to personal bias, is more likely to judge a work based on its actual merits. To that end, a list of the best critically reviewed sci-fi films will be different from one compiled according to IMDb user ratings—even if specific titles are bound to overlap.

With that in mind, Stacker presents the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to what the critics say. Films were ranked by Metascore. In the case of a tie, the title with more critic ratings ranked higher. Excluded from consideration were any movies that have not yet been released to the public.

Without further ado, here are the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to the critics.